Cedar Rapids' just-completed championship tree contest may provide Sherrie Nelsen her greatest defense against the frightful march of the ash-tree-killing emerald ash borer.

The towering black ash in Nelsen’s backyard at 1612 Maplewood Dr. NE is the city’s champion tree of its species and, according to a preliminary comparison with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources champion tree list, ranks as the state’s champion black ash, too.

The city’s contest also has identified six other Cedar Rapids champion trees — Amur corktree, arborvitae, Ponderosa pine, red pine, American Larch and scarlet red oak — that appear to top Iowa’s list of champion trees for their species, reports City Arborist Daniel Gibbins. He says another 23 of 77 contest entries rank in the state’s top 10 of their species.